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While I’ve been mixin’ it up and teaching computer training I have had the opportunity to meet some new friends! What a joy to meet women that are smart, funny, hard-working, and easy to be with! Huge blessing. Anyway, one of these great gals, Sherry, brought these little nuggets of yumminess to training one day and that is all it took, I bugged her for the next several weeks until she lovingly gave me the recipe! This recipe is simple, adaptable, healthful, includes chocolate, and quick…how much more perfect can it get? So, mix up these babies and you’ll have the perfect pre-workout, pre-hike, pre-bike-ride, pre-any-fun-exercise-activity snack! Also, one of these with a small glass of milk would be a great after school snack for the kiddos. They are addictive and not low-calorie. Consider yourself warned…

No Bake Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup dry oats

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter (heard from one gal that almond butter doesn’t work in this recipe)

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and shape into balls. Store in refrigerator.

I know Sherry has made this recipe with additional items like Craisins or sunflower seeds. So you can be creative, just be sure to add healthy things!

Makes 24 balls: Each has 90 calories/4 grams of protein/2 grams of fiber

In February I have been switchin’ it up in some big ways; I took on the challenge of becoming a trainer for a new computer charting system my employer is implementing throughout our hospital. I changed from working part-time nights to full-time (8a-5p) days. I went from working any day out of the seven options to working Monday through Friday. I went from patient care to sitting in front of a computer. It has been wonderful, stressful, exhausting, and invigorating!

Facing change is always an opportunity for growth. The choices we make in deciding how we will cope with change have a huge impact on our lives. Change can bring fresh ideas and new perspectives, it can push us outside our comfort zone and broaden our skill set, but it can also be a trigger for bad habits and ineffective coping skills that can lead us into a ditch emotionally and physically. When we expose ourselves to new things we bump into experiences that can widen our view of life. I have learned that for me, hesitation and fear have long been my enemies. In order to live the life I want to live, I am learning to push past them and jump into my life with both feet.

Are you living the life you want to, or just surviving? Are you creating the life you want by the choices you make each day or just letting time pass?

Adaptations

Embracing change challenges our minds. We must put on our trouble-shooting hats and flexible mindsets in order to adjust. Not always fun but it can be rewarding. Don’t put off healthy living because you are busy, you can travel through change and stress and make healthy choices. Life is full of change, help yourself by learning to thrive in the midst of it all.

Full-time Life

I can’t lie, living a healthy lifestyle does require a personal investment of time and energy. It is easier to not be healthy. It takes less time and effort to eat fast food than to make a home cooked meal. It is quicker to just buy bigger clothes then to lose weight. It is easier to let anger fester than to confront a troubled relationship. But, life can be so vivid and fulfilling if our goals are bigger than “easy” and “quick”!

To maintain my normal eating style, workout routine, and emotional stability during all the changes this past month I have relied on a few solid and trustworthy tactics. I encourage you to apply these tips to keep your sanity and enjoy each day!

Planning A critical element to maintaining a healthy lifestyle when life is busy and moving is planning. If you have been following the newsletters each month, you will notice this topic on just about each one. Planning ahead for your day/week gets you about 50 steps forward towards keeping goals and making healthy choices. Why? Because it is so stinkin’ hard to make the choices you really want to make on the fly. If faced with a yummy grilled cheese hot of the grill in the cafeteria vs. a salad that looks like it has been there for 12 hours…how hard is it to choose the healthier choice? Seriously, it is crazy hard. So, plan. Take the time to make your own yummy lunch and bring your snacks when you plan to be away for an extended period of time.

Think Big Picture It was such a major change for me to go from being active all day long to sitting for 8 hours. It was a huge change to have bowls of chocolate on the table in front of me all during those 8 hours. Still more change to fit in exercise around a full-time work schedule. I gained a few pounds and missed a few workouts…nobody died. Keeping my big picture mentality has been critical. My important self-talk has been “you just need time to adjust, you can do this.” No extreme thinking allowed! As the weeks went on I figured out how to fit in my work outs and how to stop the mindless opening and munching on mini Twix bars. Give yourself time to adjust to changes and grace for slips on the path, but stay on the path, you can do it!

Laugh I have had a blast during this time of change, met some awesome people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, and laughed a lot. Being able to laugh at yourself as you learn is a wonderfully fun tool for staying healthy in your mindset and physically too. Laughing released endorphins, works your abs, and reduces stress…there’s no down side to a good belly laugh! So, watch funny you tube videos and relax. Take breaks and play. Life is short, each day is a gift, I vote for enjoying it! Always remember, a great big oak tree began as a little nut that held its ground!

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” Matthew 6:34